Circuit-make-and-break device.



W. DI'APPEL.

CIRCUIT MAKE AND BREAK DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED FEB-I11, I910.

1,255,846. Patented Feb. 12, 1918.

IZZTTV UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

KENT, 0F ROSEMONT, PENNSYLVANIA.

CIRCUIT-MAKE-AND-BREAK DEVICE.

Application filed February 11, 1916.

To all whom. may concern:

Be is known that T. lVAL'ri-in D. Arrnn, a

I the electric ignition circuits of internal combustion engines. Mydevice is adapted to momentarily close the circuit and immediately openit, and this operation may be reposted in rapid'succession incooperation with the usual. distributors employed with engines havin aplurality of cylinders.

More specili: objects are to so arrange my make-and-break device thatthe contacts closing the,circuit are normally apart and are alwaysinstantly separated after each contact, regardless of the position of.the actuating parts, whereby the circuit cannot be left closed and thuswaste the battery. Another object is to so construct the device that itmay be very uniform and positive in operation throughout a very widerange of speeds, and will not lag at high speed. Sti 1 another object isthe provision of means for preventing injury to the de vice consequentupon the reverse movement of the actuatin means, such for example, asmay occur rom back firing of the enine-v Features of my invention are,that It is durable, may be cheaply manufactured and readily applied toexisting engines .of

various types.

My invention i hereinafter more fully described in connection with theaccompanying drawings, and the essential characteristics are set forthin the claims.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of my device, showin the same associatedwith distributer mec anism which. is indicated in dot and dash lines;Fig. 2 is a sectional plan of the parts shown in Fig. 1 below thedistributer with an accompanying wiring die- Specification of LettersPatent. Patented Feb. 12, 1918.

Serial No. 77,737.

gram illustrating circuits which my makeand-break device controls; Fig.3 is a. side elevation of the same; and ,Fig. 4 is a sectional detailshowing the means for preventing injury to the device, due to backfiring of the engine.

M device is convenientl associated with l the mechanism for actuatingthe distributer directing current to the cylinders. In the particularembodiment shown, 5 indicates a vertical shaft carrying a laterallyextendin 7 contact arm 6 adapted to (,OilPelfitGWltfi contacts at theends of the Wires 7, leading to respective cylinders. The wire 8 isshown as a common return, leading current to the 1 contact arm 6.Beneath the distributor is shown a disk like plate 10, through which theshaft 5 rotatably extends, and which is shown as havinga downwardlyextending boss 12, which may form a suitable bearing for the shaft 5.Above the disk 10 is mounted a cam disk 15 having a plurality ofratchet-shaped teeth, separated by outwardly extending cam surfaces 16.This disk is rotatable with the shaft 5 and is held in position by any sitable means, as for example, lock nuts 15. This disk is adapted to bedriven in the direction of the arrow in'Fig. 2, and preferably has thesame number of actuating teeth as there are points in the distributer orspark plugs in the motor.

In the same plane with the disk 15 and extending past one side thereof,is a contact lever arm 20, suitably pivoted at 21 to a boss rising fromthe plate 10. This arm is provided with a laterally projecting lug 22,adapted to cooperate with the cam disk 15 whereby the rotation of thisdisk may press the lug and lever away from the same until the highportion of each cam is reached, whereupon the lever is returned to- Wardthe disk by a leaf-sprin member 24, shown as having one end rigidlycarried in an upward promotion 25'mounted on the plate 10 and having itsfree end bearing against the lever 20. An adjustable stop is provided tolimit the return movement of the lever. This stop is sh own ascomprising a screw 27, extending through a lug 28, ris- D. APPEL, OFCLEVELAND HEIGHTS VILLAGE, OHIO, ASSIGNOR T0 ARTHUR A.

ing from the plate 10. At the free. end of the lever 20 carried asuitable contact point. 29 adapted to cooperate with a contact point 30carried on an inwardly curved arm of a cooperating lever 32.

The lever 32 i shown as pivoted at 3% to the plate 10, the pivot memberextending into a suitable insulatin washer 35 adapted to prevent currentp g from the lever 32 t0 the disk 10. T lever f'l carries an abutment 36of suitable insulating material adapted to engage the r side of thelever 20, preferably opposih contact. and so positioning the lever 3:with relation to the lever 20 that the contact points proper are,normally separated. as shown. The lever 32 is pressed toward the lever20 by a leaf spring 38 carried in a projection 39, mounted on the plate10,and insulated therefrom, the spring itself being slightly above thedisk, prevents current passing from the lever through the. spring to thedisk.

t will be noted that the lever 20 is shown as much thinner and lighterin weight than the lever 32 and the spring 24 actuating the lever 20 ismaterially heavier and stronger than the spring 38. Thus, when the shaft5 is rotated, rotating the disk 15, the projection 22 rides outwardlyfrom the shaft on the cam surfaces, compressing the spring 24, whichinstantly returns the lever against the stop 22 when the projection 22ridesofi' from the high point of the cam. \Vhen the lever 20 movesoutwardly it moves the lever 32 outwardly correspondingly, through theabutment 36, and immediately upon the release of the lever 20, thespring 38 moves the lever toward the position shown in Fig. 2. Thismovement, however, is comparatively slower than the movement of thelever 20, thus the lever 32 overtakes the levcr 20, bringing thecontacts 29 and 30 together for an instant until the lever 22 is stoppedin its innermost position (by engaging the screw 27 whereupon thefarther movement of the lever immediately separates the contact points.

I have found in practice that this operation takes place almostinstantaneously and while the contacts are tightly pressed together longenough to accomplish the de between the contacts and the relative t" ofcontacting may be changed for purpt. of adjustment to conditions, inorder to avoid injury to the parts of my make-and break device.resulting from a rev arse movt ment of the shaft 5 which ma 'eduentiycur. due to a back tiring of the engine. 1 provide a ratchet mechanismfor driving the disk iii. This mechanism is sh wn ticularly in Fig. i.5*. pin it) mom in the shaft 5 and is pressed radially Cllt. wardlv. bya spring 42, into engagement with a shoulder 44, formed in the .d' i1:). Upon a reverse movement of the shaft the pin is pressed inwardly bya cam surface 46, (the disk being held against; rotation at) in thereverse direction by engagement with the projection 2 permittin acomparatively free rotation of the shaft with relation to the disk.Vixen the shaft again resumes the forward movement, the disk is at heldagainst rotation by engagement with the projection until the pin 40again engages its cooperating shoulder. again drii ing the cam disk inthe normal direction.

In Fig. 2 is indicated a wiring diagram 9 illustrating a convenientmanner of arranging circuits for ignition purposes in an internalcombustion engine. As shown, the levers 20 and 32 with their contacts 29and 30 are the makc-and-brcak members in a a primary circuit, comprisinga battery 50. a wire 51 leading to the lever 32, the contacts and lever20. wire 54 and a primary coil 56 connected with the battery. 5:)indicates a suitable condenser arranged in the primary circuit inparallel with the battery. Current through this primary circuit.including the primary winding 56. induc a cur rent through a secondarywinding Lnlicatcd at (50. connected with the distribu' ier and cylindersof the engine in the following manner; a wire 61, leads from the coil tothe common wire 8 of the distributer from which current may pass througha suitable connection, such as the arm 6 heretofore de scribed, to anyof the wires 7 leading to the usual spark plug (35, mounted in an engineindicated at 70. From the spark plugs the current may pass through theengine frame to a wire (56 leading to the other terminal of the winding60. Thus, by synchronizing the closing of the circuit at. the contacts29 and 30 in the primary circuit with the closing of the circuit throughthe successive spark plugs in the secondary circuits, the desiredcot'ipcration between the usual .distributer and my make-and-breakdevice may be obtained.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that by the use of therelatively light 1 lever actuated by the heavy-spring to overtake-acon'iparatively heavy lcvcr actuated by a light spring, thereby making acontact,

. tacts, one of said members being materially Having thus described myinvention, what I claim is:

1. In a device of the character described, the combination of a pair ofcontacts, a

movable member carrying each. of said conlighter than the other, acomparatively heavy yielding means acting on the light fmember', acomparatively light yielding means acting on the heavy member, anabutment against which the yielding means presses one of said members,an abutment between said members so arranged as to hold the contactsseparated, and means for moving said members out of their normalposition and permitting a sudden return, whereby the lighter member withits heavier yielding means may return more quickly than the heaviermember with its lighter yieldingmeans, thereby bringing the contactstogether on the return movement.

:2. The combination of a pair of movable members carrying contactsadapted to coact but normally out of contact, an operating deviceadapted to act on one of the members and thereby move them both Whilethe contacts remain apart and then release said members, and springs ofdifferent power acting on thetvio members and causing one to overtakethe other on the return movement, there being means for retarding suchreturn movement of the overtaking member.

3. In a device of the character described, the combination of a pair ofmovable members having contacts normally separated but adapted to coact,an operating device adapted to move said members while maintaining theircontacts separated and to release the members allowing them to return tonormal position, and means for causing one of said members to overtakethe other on the return movement and make a temporary contact stitutinganother terminal and extending onto both sides of the lever firstmentioned, said second lever, carrying a contact point coiiperating withthe lever first mentioned. a spring acting on the second lever andtending to separate its contact from the con tact of the first lever,and an insulated dis tance member between said levers.

5. In a device of the character described, the combination of a rotarywiper cam, a pivoted lever adapted to be engaged by said cam andperiodically swung away from the center of rotation, a spring pressingsaid -lever toward the cam a second lever having a. hooked portionextending onto opposite sides of the lever first mentioned, contactpoints carried by the first lever and the hooked portion of the secondlever, an insulated distance piece between the two levers, the secondlever being heavier than the first lever.

6. In a device of the character described, the combination of a rotarywiper cam, a pivoted lever adapted to be engaged by said cam andperiodically swung away from the center of rotation, a spring pressingsaid lever toward the cam, a second lever having a hooked portionextending onto opposite sides of the lever first mentioned, contactpoints carried by the first lever and the hooked portion of the secondlever, an insulated distance piece between the two levers, and aspringacting onthe second lever which is lighter than the spring acting on thefirst lever.

7. In a device of the character described, the combination of a pivotedlever carrying a contact point, a second pivoted lever ex tending ontoopposite sides of the lever first mentioned, a cotiperating contactpoint car ried by said second lever, an adjustable insulated abutmentstop carried by the second lever on the other side of the firstmentioned lever from its contact point, springs acting on the twolevers, and a means for periodically swinging the first lever.

8. In a device of the character described,

the combination of a rotary wiper cam, a

pivotedlever adapted to be engaged by the cam between its pivot and itsfree end, a comparatively heavy spring pressing said lever toward theearn, an adjustable abutment stop for the lever when pressed toward thecam, a second lever pivoted independently of the first lever and hookedaround the end of the first lever, a comparatively light spring pressingsaid second lever toward the first lever, and an adjustably posi tionedinsulated distance piece between said le ers.

9. In a device of the character described, the combination of a rotarywiper earn, a pivoted lever adapted to be engaged by said, cam betweenits pivot and free'end, said ried by the heavy lever and the lever firsimentioned on the side of the first lever adjacent t0 khe cam, anmljustable insulated distance piece carried by heavy lever 10 andadapted to be abutl ecl by the first lever on its side away from theeem, and, a. 00mparatively light spring pressing said heavy lever towardthe cam.

In testimony whereof. l hereunto afilx'my 15 signature.

WAL D. A'EPEL.

